Patents Examined by Jack W. Keith
  • Patent number: 8755482
    Abstract: The method comprises the steps of: partitioning the core in cubes to constitute nodes of a grid for computer implemented calculation, splitting the cubes into a first category and a second category, each cube of the first category being adjacent only to cubes from the second category so that the first category and second category of cubes constitute a checkerboard-like pattern, ordering the cubes of the first category and then the cubes of the second category, calculating neutron flux and/or thermohydraulics parameters by using an iterative solving procedure of at least one linear system and/or an eigensystem, the components of an iterant of the linear system and/or the eigensystem constituting the neutron flux and/or thermohydraulics parameters to be calculated, wherein, during the iterative solving procedure, calculations are conducted on the cubes of the first category then on the cubes of the second category.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Areva NP
    Inventor: Rene Van Geemert
  • Patent number: 8694182
    Abstract: A flight control system includes an Acceleration and Attitude Command/Velocity Hold mode (AACVH) algorithm which blends attitude commands with acceleration commands. This blending determines a trim attitude for a given rotorcraft flight condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventor: Igor Cherepinsky
  • Patent number: 8571166
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor having a plurality of fuel assemblies, which are loaded in said core, having nuclear fuel material containing a plurality of isotopes of transuranium nuclides, an upper blanket zone, a lower blanket zone, and a fissile zone, in which the transuranium nuclides are contained, disposed between the upper blanket zone and the lower blanket zone, wherein a ratio of Pu-239 in all the transuranium nuclides contained in the loaded fuel assembly is in a range of 40 to 60% when burnup of the fuel assembly is 0, sum of a height of the lower blanket zone and a height of the upper blanket zone is in a range of 250 to 600 mm, and the height of said lower blanket zone is in a range of 1.6 to 12 times the height of the upper blanket zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Patent number: 8527159
    Abstract: An electronic-hydraulic controller for an automatic transmission includes a transmission control module (TCM) which is disposed outside the transmission housing and is connected to the actuators, sensors and switches within the transmission by a serial data link such as the car area network (CAN). Electrical power is also provided to the components within the transmission resulting in a connector requiring only five or six terminals. Each of the actuators, sensors and switches includes its own integrated electronic circuitry which receives, stores and provides data and allows it to communicate through the serial data link with the externally mounted control module. The electronic circuitry of each actuator stores data regarding its input signal to output pressure and flow characteristics which facilitates replacement of the transmission control module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Steven Mark Bezdek
  • Patent number: 8427372
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic scanning array antenna which can be used as a UWB radar having an occupied band of not less than 500 MHz. An impulse generator is connected to each of a plurality of antenna elements constituting the electronic scanning array antenna, and a transmission trigger time to each of the impulse generators connected to the antenna elements is changed, whereby the phase of radio waves emitted from an antenna is equivalently changed. Moreover, a transmission trigger repletion interval is changed to thereby control a direction of a beam emitted from the array antenna. As means of changing a transmission trigger timing to each of the impulse generators connected to the antenna elements, a method of changing a frequency of a transmission trigger pulse and a method of changing a pulse position are adopted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sakura Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Fuminori Sakai, Kazuo Ohta
  • Patent number: 7822514
    Abstract: A system is provided which is capable of controlling one or more parameters of a vehicle, such as vehicle speed or engine RPM. The system involves communication between a transmitter and a controller. The transmitter has memory containing information that corresponds to a vehicle parameter setting. The information is operatively transmitted from the transmitter to the controller. Once the controller receives the information, the vehicle parameter setting is identified by the controller. When the setting is identified, the controller may adjust at least one mechanism on the vehicle so as modify the vehicle parameter accordingly. One scenario in which the parameter modification is generally provided is if the controller determines that the vehicle parameter is exceeding the identified setting, which corresponds to the vehicle being operated at a level higher than that intended for the vehicle operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Polaris Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Steven C. Erickson
  • Patent number: 7765066
    Abstract: Method for lane keeping support in motor vehicles, in which a setpoint value for the lateral position of the vehicle is determined, the actual position of the vehicle in relation to the boundaries of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling is detected by a sensor device and an output signal for the lane keeping support is calculated by a setpoint-actual comparison, wherein objects are tracked in at least one neighboring lane and a setpoint value for the lateral position is varied as a function of tracking data of these objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Goetz Braeuchle, Martin Heinebrodt
  • Patent number: 7755970
    Abstract: Methods are described for actively steering a towed marine seismic component using one or more actively controllable control members; reducing the actively steering of the control members during duration of a time window of recording seismic reflections from a sub-surface geological feature of interest; and resuming the actively steering of the control members after the time window. The marine seismic component may be a streamer, a source, or both. Other methods allow measuring initial orientation of a streamer based on measuring static control surface angle of a control surface of an inline steerable bird. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, and allow a reader to ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Kenneth E. Welker, Johan Olof Anders Robertsson, Jens Olav Paulsen
  • Patent number: 7751974
    Abstract: A method for navigation processing in a satellite positioning system receiver is disclosed. A method in accordance with the present invention comprises separating the three SATPS satellites into a first pair and a second pair, constructing a primary solution and an alternate solution, wherein the primary solution and the alternate solution satisfy the measurement constraints, computing a Doppler difference estimate for the primary solution and a Doppler difference estimate for the alternate solution, computing Doppler difference residuals for the first pair and the second pair of SATPS satellites, and comparing the Doppler difference residuals for said primary and alternate solutions to determine a valid solution. Typically, the computing of a Doppler difference residuals comprises differencing a measured Doppler difference from an estimated Doppler difference for the first pair and the second pair of SATPS satellites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Jacob Brodie, David Allan Tuck, Mangesh M. Chansarkar
  • Patent number: 7751952
    Abstract: A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departure trains to depart the switch yard. A processing entity processes the data and computes car switching solutions for the railcars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
    Inventors: Kari Muinonen, Anshu Pathak, Matthew Barker, Vincent Morency
  • Patent number: 7747362
    Abstract: A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departure trains to depart the switch yard. A processing entity processes the data and computes car switching solutions for the railcars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
    Inventors: Kari Muinonen, Anshu Pathak, Matthew Barker, Vincent Morency, Gordon Doyle
  • Patent number: 7739035
    Abstract: This method allows the calculation, using a terrain elevation database, of a map of the distances of the points accessible to a mobile object subjected to dynamic constraints evolving with its time of travel, for example an aircraft having an imposed vertical flight profile, the distances being measured solely according to paths achievable by the mobile object. It implements a propagation-based distance transform which catalogs the achievable paths going from a goal point whose distance is to be estimated to a source point which is the origin of the distance measurements and likens the distance of the goal point to the length of the shortest achievable path or paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Nicolas Marty
  • Patent number: 7739047
    Abstract: A method for evaluating the licitness of the situation of a craft on the surface of an airport including the steps of: modelling of a first licitness cost surface covering a surface of the airport where the craft is deploying, termed the deployment surface, related to this deployment surface and defined by quantities assigned to its points, which quantities are representative of their memberships in flow constraint zones and of the severity in relation to the craft, of the flow constraints, modelling of a second licitness cost surface covering the deployment surface, related to the craft and defined by quantities assigned to its points, which quantities are representative of their memberships in a girth zone covering a neighborhood of the current position of the craft, and calculation of a score evaluating the significance of the risk of violation of a flow constraint incurred by the craft on the basis of a cross-correlation function of the two licitness cost surfaces referred to one and the same benchmark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Hugues Meunier, Nicolas Marty
  • Patent number: 7734402
    Abstract: A driving-force distribution control device includes a distributing mechanism, a distribution controller, an anti-skid brake system, an acceleration detector, a synthesized acceleration calculator and a control coefficient controller. The distributing mechanism is operable to variably distribute a driving force from an engine to individual drive wheels of a vehicle. The distribution controller is operable to control the distributing mechanism based on a running state of the vehicle. The acceleration detector is operable to detect a first acceleration in a front-rear direction and a second acceleration in a left-right direction of the vehicle. The synthesized acceleration calculator is operable to calculate a synthesized acceleration of the first acceleration and the second acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Ushiroda, Kaoru Sawase, Kazuhiko Aono, Makoto Sakata, Kazufumi Hayashikawa, Naoki Takahashi, Keiji Suzuki, Takami Miura
  • Patent number: 7734404
    Abstract: A deceleration control apparatus for a vehicle including a controller that performs deceleration control based on a first target deceleration set based on a distance to a starting point of an upcoming curve, when the deceleration control for the curve is started at a position distant from the starting point of the curve; and that performs the deceleration control based on a second target deceleration set based on a lateral acceleration that is estimated to be detected when the vehicle passes the starting point of the curve, when the deceleration control for the curve is started at a position close to the starting point of the curve. With this apparatus, it is possible to perform the deceleration control that provides drive assist according to the intention of the driver and that enhances driving convenience for the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Shiiba, Kunihiro Iwatsuki, Yukihiro Ikeda, Masayoshi Hoshino, Akira Matsui
  • Patent number: 7734382
    Abstract: A vehicle remote control system is for a vehicle including a data communications bus extending throughout the vehicle, and at least one vehicle device connected to the data communications bus. The vehicle remote control system includes a remote transmitter, and a true controller at the vehicle for controlling the vehicle device via a true command on the data communications bus, and based upon the remote transmitter. The true controller also controls the vehicle device via a respective counteracting command on the data communications bus based upon detecting a rogue controller attempt to control the at least one vehicle device via a rogue command on the data communications bus. The true controller may thus counteract a rogue controller attempt to start the engine, unlock vehicle doors, roll down windows, and/or disarm the vehicle security system, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Flick
  • Patent number: 7729859
    Abstract: A driving assistance system for regulating an operation of a vehicle in a discrete manner according to different ranges of risk potentials associated with the vehicle, such that different risk potentials in different ranges are conveyed to the driver in a different and discrete manner. The system includes a device for calculating a risk potential associated with the vehicle, and a data processor for regulating an operation of the vehicle, such as a reaction force applied to the acceleration pedal, based on a control parameter assuming one of a plurality of values according to the calculated risk potential associated with the vehicle, wherein each of the values is assigned to one of a plurality of predetermined ranges of risk potentials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Kimura, Genpei Naito
  • Patent number: 7729814
    Abstract: A vehicle control system is for a vehicle including a data communications bus extending throughout the vehicle, and at least one vehicle device connected to the data communications bus. The vehicle control system includes a a true controller at the vehicle for controlling the vehicle device via a true command on the data communications bus. The true controller also controls the vehicle device via a respective counteracting command on the data communications bus based upon detecting a rogue controller attempt to control the at least one vehicle device via a rogue command on the data communications bus. The true controller may thus counteract a rogue controller attempt to start the engine, unlock vehicle doors, roll down windows, and/or disarm the vehicle security system, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Flick
  • Patent number: 7724608
    Abstract: A system and method is provided that uses signals from a plurality of seismic sensors to define an acoustic lens for subsurface imaging. More specifically signals provided by an array of sensors/geophones may be utilized to form an acoustic lens that can be focused on a subterranean point by properly adjusting the signals recorded at each sensor prior to summation of those signals. To form such an acoustic lens, each of the seismic sensors is moved onto a hypothetical acoustic lens surface (e.g., spherical surface) having a focal point located on the subterranean point of interest in order to calculate a time delay for each signal. Once the signals for each sensor is time-delayed, information in the time-delayed signals, which is received from the point of interest, may be temporally aligned. Accordingly, the time delayed signals may be combined to generate reflection information for the point of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Inventor: Wayne Simon
  • Patent number: 7725215
    Abstract: A real-time multi-tasking digital control system with rapid recovery capability is disclosed. The control system includes a plurality of computing units comprising a plurality of redundant processing units, with each of the processing units configured to generate one or more redundant control commands. One or more internal monitors are employed for detecting data errors in the control commands. One or more recovery triggers are provided for initiating rapid recovery of a processing unit if data errors are detected. The control system also includes a plurality of actuator control units each in operative communication with the computing units. The actuator control units are configured to initiate a rapid recovery if data errors are detected in one or more of the processing units. A plurality of smart actuators communicates with the actuator control units, and a plurality of redundant sensors communicates with the computing units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Kent Stange, Richard Hess, Gerald B Kelley, Randy Rogers